The tie that binds
by grimhatsune
Summary: It all started out when she began running away from him. Human, dark Flippy/Flaky. Warning: mature content.
1. Hated

Author's note: This is a Flippy/Flaky story, in which all the Happy Tree Friends are humans. The action takes place after _Without A Hitch _and it is the main reason for all the events that will be presented here.

**Big Warning:** Contains references to rape, non-consensual situations, sex, violence and bad language. Reader discretion is strongly advised. You have been warned, so no flaming.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Happy Tree Friends and I'm not making any money off of this work of fiction.

xxx

The life in the 'Happy Tree Friends' town wasn't pleasant. It wasn't pleasant at all.

Not to her, at least.

She was miserable, sick, tired, unhappy, scared that something horrible will happen to her and, most of all, traumatized. Mentally scarred because she was forced to see all those gruesome, horrific deaths every day, she was forced to assist at her friends' torture and she was destined to die a horrific, nightmarish death, along with them.

She couldn't realize what kind of place was that town. She couldn't realize if it was a terrible dream, an illusion induced by a mentally deranged person or Hell.

She wondered if it was punishment for something they had done in another life and, especially, she wondered how come they had such cruel destinies, to die again and again, and every time the death was more and more horrible.

It had to be Hell. There wasn't any other explanation. It was a colorful, tricky, sweet Hell. A false, lying image of a place that hid a terrible curse.

Flaky stood up and studied her nightgown, silent. The morning sunlight was beating down on her, entering through the shiny windows and enveloping the simple, clean room in diffuse, warm colors. High-pitched, joyous bird voices reached her ears as she opened the windows and smelled the fresh air. The sky was blue, the buildings were colorful, the grass was green, people smiled happily, while they were heading towards various places, but she remained emotionless at the sight.

The corners of her mouth were still curled in dejection and her eyes were still sad and glassy from the tears that formed every morning and streamed down her face, reddening her cheeks.

It was all a lie.

She closed the windows with a loud thud and frowned as she turned her back to the beautiful view. It was useless if she tried to be joyous, if she tried to smile. These attempts would be probably ended by a car that would crash into her or by a heavy brick that would crush her head or by an animal that would rip her apart. Or by Flippy.

Then she would die, blackness would take over her and she would wake up again, in a new body, spotless and flawless.

As always.

She sighed, then she dressed into her red skirt, she took her red blouse, her red boots and she went outside, into the blinding light that made her eyes tear up even more. She was a little glad that she had managed to find a job at the local restaurant as a waitress, after she had convinced Pop to hire her, because now she was finally able to pay up her rent.

On the way there, a big poster attracted her attention, on a fence, and she stopped and studied it a little shocked.

Flippy stared at her from a black and white photo and her mouth hung open in surprise when she read the words that were written under it.

There was a trial next week. A trial in which he was going to be condemned and locked in.

_For good._

Relief washed over her and a small ray of hope flowered in her mind.

That bastard was finally going to receive what he deserved. What she had done to him last time wasn't enough. A simple stab in the eye and one death wasn't enough for what he'd done to them so many times, for every time he had slaughtered her and her friends.

He had to be locked in a cage. Like an animal. Like a beast.

Hatred filled her and she dug her fingers into her palm, as she clenched her jaw in anger and exasperation. She knew she shouldn't be thinking like this, she knew he was mentally unstable and, especially, she knew that Flippy still thought that she was his friend.

But what Flippy didn't know, was that she didn't consider him her friend anymore.

She tried so much to hate him, and that was something, because she had never hated anyone.

It wasn't normal for her to hate someone, it wasn't normal for her to even be angry at someone and she hadn't even known she was capable of hating.

But Flippy, whom she had considered a friend once, proved her that she could have that horrendous feeling.

Flaky regretted that she had gotten close to him, that she had organized his birthday parties so many times, when he did nothing but murder her in return. And the worst part was the fact that she was now stuck with him, because he believed that she was his _best friend_.

He believed she was his best friend, because no one else in that entire town had tried to befriend him, like she had done. It had been reckless and stupid of her to do such a thing and now she had to put up with the consequences.

Consequences like the fact that he called her because he wanted to ask her how she was doing. That he helped her when she had problems with her car, even though she didn't want him to do that, because he scared the hell out of her when he got closer than five feet. That he even visited her sometimes, which frustrated and alarmed her, even though she couldn't do anything about that situation, because she was too polite and retained to kick him out of her house. She was too afraid of him to kick him out.

This hatred she harbored for him made her feel guilty, at the same time.

He was such a good friend, when he didn't flip out, and she wanted to get rid of him by all means.

Flaky inhaled deeply and bit her lip, then continued to walk until she reached the 'Happy Tree Friends' local restaurant. She pushed the doors of the building and threw a look to see that people were already there. And that she was late.

"Flaky!" A low voice called her and she jumped startled, turning around. Pop was standing behind the counter, his arms crossed, and he was frowning.

"You're late. Again." He admonished her and she gulped. She gave a small, insecure smile and scratched the back of her head nervously.

"Heh, heh, sorry. I promise it won't happen anymore."

"It better be like that." He threw an apron at her and disappeared on the kitchen's doors, before his voice was heard yelling at some other employee. She sighed and changed into her uniform, which consisted of a small, black skirt and a white shirt, then she got ready for a day filled with work.

Time seemed to pass quickly as she ran from one end of the restaurant to the other, following orders and serving clients. Flaky even felt a little better, because that way she didn't have the chance to think about horrible things like she used to when she didn't have anything to do.

Then time suddenly stopped as she saw him outside, on the window. And he was coming in that place's direction.

She yelped in fear and looked around her in alarm. Some threw her weird looks as she put the plate she was carrying on a random table, before she went behind the counter and hid, scared.

She was sure he was coming there _for her_.

"What are you doing?" Petunia's amused voice spoke above her and Flaky looked up. The blue haired girl was watching her with a big smirk plastered on her face.

"P-please. Pretend like I'm not here, just for a few minutes." Flaky stammered.

Petunia furrowed her brow in confusion, before she raised her shoulders, and turned towards someone who came in front of the counter. Flaky suddenly sensed her tensing up.

"Yes. May I… uh…may I take your order?" Petunia mumbled and Flaky heard hesitation in her voice.

It was _him_. She was talking to him.

Flaky trembled and bit her nails in nervousness as she made herself smaller, next to Petunia's legs.

"No, I'm just looking for Flaky. She's here, isn't she?"

Both girls froze at the same time. Petunia moved in restlessness and gave Flaky a kick under the counter and she squeaked in apprehension. The blue haired girl threw her a questioning look with the corner of the eye and Flaky shook her head fervently, mouthing a desperate 'not here'. The other girl understood and turned towards Flippy, before she adjusted her voice, prepared to lie. Flaky knew that Petunia was scared of him as well, but she was her only hope at that moment.

She was the only one who could help Flaky get rid of _him_.

"Sorry. She's not here. She was sent over to deliver a command." Petunia spoke smoothly. There was a pause and silence hung out in the air heavy with tension, which made Flaky tremble. She had the horrific sensation that Flippy didn't believe Petunia, but his voice suddenly reached her ears.

"Oh." He muttered disappointedly. "Ok. Thank you."

Flaky heard movement, then, after a few seconds, the bell that was at the door rang loudly and that was when she knew for sure he wasn't in the restaurant anymore.

She exhaled in ease and stood up, wiping the sweat off her face. Petunia was paler than usually and Flaky apologized.

"Sorry you had to put up with this."

Petunia appeared to come to her senses and relaxed a little, then crossed her arms and shook her head.

"Alright, I know he's scary and all, but what was all that about?" Petunia asked harshly. "Why are you hiding from him? I thought you got along with him."

Flaky fidgeted.

"I did." She replied miserably, then stopped and looked at the floor in sadness. "Not anymore. He thinks I'm his friend, but I hate him." She spoke wretchedly, contorting her features in fury. Petunia gaped at her in wonder. She patted her friend on the back as she watched her with a regretful look.

"No one can really be friends with him, Flaky. He's a murderer. Thankfully, they'll finally lock him in and you won't have to worry about seeing him anymore." She stated.

Flaky didn't answer. She just stared at the door.

xxx

She dragged herself on the town's streets, yawning tiredly. That day had been exhausting. The sun was setting down and she hugged herself, shivering a little.

She had the feeling that something bad was going to happen to her really soon, because everything had been too perfect since she woke up. Too normal. Suspiciously normal. She guessed that she was about to die in the next…

She looked at her watch.

Four hours. Because there were only four hours left until midnight. She inhaled deeply, as she braced herself for the worst, and she continued walking, heading towards her home. When she was able to see it, far away, in the distance, she wasn't so tense anymore and exhaled.

Maybe that day was one of the lucky, rare days when nothing happened to her. When she didn't die. She suddenly wanted to smile at the thought, at that small, wonderful thought, but all her enthusiasm was swept away when she heard someone calling her name.

And she recognized the voice that belonged to _him_.

Flaky didn't even dare to turn around. Horror struck her as she darted like a bolt of lightning and ran alarmed, hoping that she would reach her house faster than Flippy would reach her. She unlocked the door with trembling hands, almost crying in fear, opened it and closed it behind her, then she stuck her back to the door, breathing heavily.

She waited a few moments, expecting him to knock at her door in any second, but he didn't, to her surprise and ease. That meant he gave up at following her.

It was stupid. She couldn't carry on acting like that forever, running and hiding from him all the time.

She was probably his only comfort at that moment, because he was going to be condemned and locked in, and he probably wanted some support from someone. And since she was his only friend, he probably looked for her so that he could just talk to her about his misfortune.

Flaky frowned angry. He didn't deserve any support from her. They weren't even friends anymore. It was all in his screwed up mind.

She tried to forget about him and went to take a shower, before she dressed in her nightgown and prepared herself, so that she could finally go to sleep. She studied herself in the mirror as she brushed her long, red hair, and she started humming a song, contentedly.

It was one of her lucky days and she truly smiled when she realized that.

Her phone suddenly rang and she dropped her brush into the sink, caught by guard. Shivers engulfed her and she looked at the phone in anticipation. Its noise reverberated in the entire bedroom and she remained petrified, while she was staring at her night table, at that small, black object that she believed it to be her doom, in that night. She gulped frightened and she approached it, then she made a little pause, before she clutched it and put it to her ear, nervously.

"H-hello?"

It was silence at the other end, for a moment.

"Why are you avoiding me, Flaky?" He asked in a dark, husky voice and she believed she pissed herself when she heard him. "Why are you running away from me?"

The phone almost fell from her grasp, but she managed to hold it still. She squeaked as tears filled her eyes.

"H-hey, Flippy. " She bit her lip so hard, that she felt the blood bursting out. She quickly thought about something, a lie, anything so that she could get rid of him as soon as possible. "What are you t-talking about? I can't s-seem to under-"

"Stop pretending." He cut her off. "I thought you were my friend. You're going to get it, for doing this to me. You're going to get it really, really bad." He spoke menacingly and Flaky became white as a sheet of paper. He normally didn't act like that. He only acted like that when he was…

Flipped out.

Terror suffocated her and she enlarged her eyes, feeling the room spin along with her. That was how scared she was.

"I'm coming over to your house. Right now." He told her. The line went dead and Flaky felt so cold that she believed she was going to turn into an ice sculpture. The phone fell from her hands, hitting the floor.

She didn't even blink as she ran like a tornado in all the rooms, checking the windows, blocking the entrances and, most importantly, barricading the door with all the locks she could find. She even pushed one of the sofas in front of the main door, just to be sure that he couldn't have any access, then she crouched under her bed and stood there, shaking like a prey that would soon be consumed. She didn't even comprehend why she did all those, when she was sure that she was going to be murdered anyway, but the horror was seeping into her pores, that she thought she was going to die by having a heart attack, before he even had the chance to kill her with his own hands.

Silent tears flowed down her face like small rivers and she dug her fingers into the carpet, desperate and angry at her terrible life, at him, but mostly, at herself, because she was a coward and because she didn't have the courage to face him.

The sound of glass breaking resonated into the room and Flaky gave a small screech, trembling wildly. She glued herself onto the floor so hard that she almost expected herself to melt into it and she turned her head to see his boots stomping on her red carpet.

He got in through the window and he was looking for her.

She cringed when she heard him creating a chaos inside her room as he turned every piece of furniture upside down and that was when she was convinced her end was close.

_So_ close.

"I'm going to find youuuu and I'm going to fucking kill youuu!" He maniacally sang, before he gave a wild, insane laugh that made her whimper.

He abruptly stopped as if he heard her, action which sent icy chills down her spine. It only lasted for a second or two, but time totally stopped in the moment he bent over and stared exactly at her with those green, mad eyes that pierced and paralyzed her.

"Found you." He grinned and Flaky widened her eyes, before she screamed. She screamed so hard that she thought she was going to lose her voice.

She crawled under the bed until she reached the other side and stood up, bolting and trying to run away, but he grabbed her by the hair much faster and threw her on the wall, making her hit her head. Flaky shook her head dizzily and looked up to see him coming closer with his knife that had already blood on it.

That meant she wasn't his first victim on that day.

She continued to scream and wriggle in hopelessness when he put the knife to her throat and smirked malevolently. There had to be a way. She was tired of dying by his hand like a low piece of life, like a dirty, weak being. There had to be way through which she could escape from him.

The cold, sharp blade started piercing her skin and her lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen, the first sign that she was dying. She choked and raised her hands, intending to push him away, but Flippy grabbed her both hands with his other one, that didn't hold the knife, and kept her in her place, impending her from making any move.

"You're scared of me, huh?" He snapped in her face angrily. "Well, I'll give you a reason to be really scared then!" He yelled like a psychopath, before he pulled her hair with force.

She screamed and struggled more violently, fiercely trying to get away from his deathly grip, and he laughed at her futile attempts.

And she did it. She wasn't fully conscious of how she did it, perhaps by stepping on his foot with all her strength or perhaps by hitting him in the stomach with her knee, but she did it. She managed to hit him, because he backed away, scrunching his features, somewhat hurt, which gave her the opportunity to distance herself from him, if only by a few feet.

An absolute murderous look came over him and Flaky stumbled and fell, before her back hit the bed with a loud thud, move which ripped a big part of her nightgown's fabric apart, exposing her naked skin.

His face suddenly went blank and he blinked. She gaped at him, expecting him to dig that horrible knife into her, but he didn't. He was staring at her like he was seeing her for the first time, while Flaky tried to cover herself with what was left from her cloth.

Then he grinned and a strange, unknown spark appeared in his eyes, making his expression seem hungry and savage. She burst into cries when he flung himself over her and she waited for him to end her life right then and there, as she squeezed her eyes shut. But he didn't do what she believed he was going to do.

He didn't do what he always did.

Instead of slicing her neck, he… _bit_ her. Of course, it wasn't a soft bit, it was a hard, painful one, and she opened her eyes, giving a small squeak, while he kept sucking and biting her skin in various spots around her neck, then he went lower and lower and he started biting the skin from all over her body, as she screeched and yelped in surprise, fear and perplexity.

She felt weird. Really weird when he tore the rest of her nightgown and studied her lustfully and she realized what he was going to do to her.

"I think I've just discovered a new game." He smirked, staring fascinated at her. "And I think it will be much more fun than a simple murder." He licked his lips and Flaky's mouth fell open in shock. She widened her eyes and sweat was starting to form on her forehead, while her heart beat faster and faster, hitting her ribcage like crazy. She gathered all her strength to push him away, but it was useless, because he didn't move an inch. He just looked down on her.

"Please…don't… I'm your friend, Flippy." She whispered, breathless, but her words had no effect. He narrowed his eyes, then he forced her knees apart and her stomach turned with dread. She couldn't believe he would that to her. At that moment, murder seemed way more plausible than that.

Torture, murder, anything horrific seemed more plausible, but not… _rape_.

"Friends don't run away from each other." He replied venomously.

Tears rolled down her cheeks in spite of her best efforts. He pushed his palm to where her thigh met her groin, before he forced her wider in spite of her fighting him and with one thrust he was inside her.

She screamed. It wasn't that the intrusion hurt that bad physically. It hurt some, yes, but it was her own being that was ripped in two, her dignity, her mind. Right then, she hated nobody more than she hated him, because he was invading her body. She hated him so much, that she believed she was screaming in anger, more than she was screaming in pain, while he kept pushing into her, fast and violently. She arched her back and dug her nails into his back, making small holes appear into his army shirt. He pushed harder and harder until he burst into her and she trembled, overwhelmed by that new, weird, twisted experience.

Her head was spinning really fast as her chest went up and down in large breaths, and she didn't even notice when he removed himself from her, without saying anything. She heard his clothes shuffling, sign that indicated the fact that he was buttoning up his pants. She waited in silence, she waited for him to finally take her life, after all the torture he'd put her through, but he just threw her one last look, before he went out and left her alone, on her messy bed.

He left her alone, in her misery, in her anger, in her sheets that were tainted with her blood, with blood that wasn't supposed to be lost like that, because that blood was special, it was something that symbolized her virtue.

She grabbed the sheets into her fists and gritted her teeth.

The hate grasped her soul with its sharp, poisonous claws and she screamed again.


	2. Meaning

Disclaimer: The Happy Tree Friends are not created by me.

Warning: sex, violence, non-consensual situations, bad language.

xxx

She remained in stillness for what seemed like hours, in the dark, and looked at the ceiling, without thinking anything. She tried not to think about anything, because then she would have those hate filled thoughts again and she didn't want more pain.

She emptied herself of any feelings, of any sensations, as she remained like a lifeless doll on her bed, quiet and emotionless. The clock's ticking was the only sound that could be heard in that deafening silence and, even though it was barely audible, to Flaky it was like an echo. Tears kept falling down on her face, but she didn't notice it anymore, because crying was more like a reflex now. She didn't know how much she stayed like that. She didn't know if it was a minute, an hour or even several hours.

But then, she guessed there were several hours after all, because the sun's light finally invaded her room. It was probably morning or even noon.

It was supposed to be a happy, beautiful day.

She didn't move from her bed. She knew she would get in trouble because she wasn't going to be present at work that day, but she wasn't capable of doing anything.

She felt hopeless and terribly depressed.

The half broken phone suddenly started ringing, but she didn't bother. She waited for the machinery to answer by itself, until it beeped and Flaky's registered voice took over.

_Hey, there. I'm Flaky. I'm not here, so just leave a message._

Pop spoke loudly in her ear and it startled her a little. He seemed to be quite pissed.

"Flaky, are you there? Answer the damn phone! I'm going to fire you if you don't come to work in the next hour. Got that?"

The message ended and the phone beeped again, announcing the end of the call. Flaky pursed her lips and scrunched her features up in desperation. Nothing ever worked well for her. It was like an endless chain of bad luck.

Her thoughts were interrupted one more time by another call and Cuddles' worried voice filled the air.

"Where are you? Petunia and Giggles said you didn't come to work this morning and this is not characteristic of you. We're pretty worried. Even though you probably died, I know the deaths don't usually affect you that much. So what happened?"

Flaky breathed fast, feeling nervous. Her lip trembled and she almost burst into cries again, but she stopped herself from doing it. She had cried enough in the last two days. Her friends didn't need other traumatic, horrific information, regarding her wellbeing. They didn't need to know that she was… raped.

The deaths and the torture were enough for them to dwell with anyway.

The sound repeated and the little, green light blinked a few times to remind her that she had messages, but she didn't pay attention to it, anymore. She kept lying on her stained sheets as she gazed at the enlightened walls. She wasn't really decided what to do, even though her conscience told her that she had to go to work and go on with her life.

She had to forget about everything and stop acting like the world was falling apart. Her mind was indeed falling apart, but she had the power to stop that. She had the strength to block all the horrendous memories and carry on, in spite of the fact that it was really hard to use that strength.

It was really hard to forget about the nightmare she went through. About him.

A silent tear still fell on her face, despite her efforts, and she wiped it with the back of her hand. Then she remembered that she was still completely naked and looked down, although she shouldn't have done it, because it bothered her even more.

Her eyes widened dramatically at the sight of her body. It was covered in small, purple bruises that she guessed they were made when he bit her. Her fingers hovered carefully above one little spot, before she pressed them on it, which made her squeak in pain. She expected them to hurt, but not like that.

Flaky knitted her brow in anger and clenched her quivering jaw.

She hated him _so much_.

The phone rang again and the automatic voice responded in her place once more. She thought Pop finally took the decision to fire her for good and give her the bad news, but it wasn't Pop.

Flaky turned into a rock in the moment she comprehended who was actually talking to her.

"Flaky…it's me." It was like a breathless whisper and she swallowed heavily as her breath quickened, whooshing in and out of her chest. Her joints began to tremble in fury and fear, but she didn't move from her spot. She continued to listen to what he had to say.

"I don't know if I hurt you last night. I'm sorry… if I murdered you. I'm really sorry." There was a pause and her heart hammered in anticipation. So, Flippy didn't actually remember what he did to her last night, after all. Her stomach seemed to drop into her feet and then soar up again to lodge in her throat, when his voice kept talking unsurely.

"When I realized that you were running away from me… it just made me mad and I couldn't control myself anymore. The anger made me flip out. I didn't want to kill you."

A muffled cry escaped her lips. No, he didn't kill her. He did something baffling and appalling, unusual in that world. Something friends didn't do to each other. Something out of ordinary and she clenched her fists at the thought.

"You're my only friend, Flaky. They're going to take me away from here and they'll lock me in. I don't want us to separate like that. I want… to see you."

It took a bit of struggling with herself, until she did it. She stared the ceiling. Her hands were still fists at her sides. She inhaled deeply a couple times, focused on the patterns in the paint up there. She refused to look to her left, to where the phone was placed, on the night table. She didn't want to think about anything related to him. She wanted to be a million miles away.

Then she stood up brusquely and, with a force that took her by surprise, she pulled the phone's wires out, took it and smashed it on the wall, infuriated and exasperated. She almost wanted to gouge her eyeballs out as she gave a yell, wrathful, and her red, messy hair fell in her face, covering her tear-stained face. She burst into loud cries and she kept on crying and crying until she felt that she shed all her tears.

Flaky couldn't even understand how much she hated him; it was like all that was left inside her was that feeling that consumed her and broke her. She sat down, next to her bed, and encircled her knees with her arms, before she stuck her forehead to them and remained still, like a small statue.

She finally discovered how terrible was to have breakdowns.

She tried to calm herself and she listened to peaceful sound of the clock, before she gulped and intended to stand up on her trembling legs. She regained her balance when she stuck herself to the wall and walked slowly, heading toward the bathroom with small steps. She felt so tired that she believed her arms and legs were going to give up in any second, but, fortunately, she managed to reach it, without collapsing to the floor like a crumpled cloth.

She felt strange when her eyes fell on the mirror.

It was like…she wasn't the same person. She had changed somehow and she couldn't figure out in what way, but she felt different as she studied her own reflection. Her body was now marked and it wasn't clean and untouched anymore. It was… used.

She was used.

She wasn't the same, little, naïve Flaky as before. The unknowing girl who was afraid of all living and lifeless things, who made friends easily and who didn't know what true sorrow was. If she believed that life was tough before, she couldn't even describe the state in which she lived now.

Flaky let the cool water fall down on her and wash all the stains away and she sighed, feeling somewhat relaxed. Her head was throbbing from all the stress and the pressure. She got into her usual clothes, before she pushed the sofa back to its place and opened the front door, letting the town's noise intrude her ears.

The streets were crowded and she observed many people gathered in small groups. They talked with a particular interest and she guessed that they spoke about the same thing, because most of them had scared, worried or fascinated expressions. She got close to one of the groups and she distinguished Flippy's name in their conversation.

"It's a good thing they come next week to take him far away from here." A tall man, who had orange hair, spoke decidedly. Flaky recognized him as one of the town's workers and she remembered that Petunia dated him some time ago and that she called him Handy. "Do you know how many times he killed me? Five times. _Five times_. "He repeated appalled, as other people shook their head in revolt.

"I heard they're taking him to a prison, to the other side of the country. It's a fortress, apparently." Lumpy interfered, scratching his chin in deep thought. "I remember I tried to help him once, he came to my counseling session and asked for psychiatric help, but the cures didn't succeed. He's still wacko as always."

Other persons jumped into the conversation, which soon turned into a heated debate over whether Flippy had to be sentenced to death or let alive, but most agreed it was better if he was let alive, because, if he died, he would have returned as most of them did.

Suddenly, someone asked a question that caught many of them by guard and silence enveloped the air like a thick, invisible veil, filled with tension.

"But what if they don't find him guilty after all?" Sniffles inquired worriedly, looking from one face to another, as their expressions changed in nervousness. "What if they find enough evidence to prove that he is actually innocent?"

Some of them started to grumble, while others protested and blurted out 'no way' angrily, but most stood quiet and considered the possibility.

"There isn't much proof that can be used in his favor. Plus, I don't think he has many friends who can sustain him. " Lumpy spoke, interrupting the agitation caused. "In fact, I don't think he has any friends." He narrowed his eyes, meditating upon the subject.

"Well, there's that red haired girl, Flaky. She seems to be quite close to him." Someone said.

There were murmurs and shifting in the crowd and Flaky felt a sharp, cold shiver travel inside her. Her stomach clenched into a tight knot and she almost felt sick when they mentioned her. She couldn't endure accuses and dangerous glares after everything she'd been through. They were wrongly informed about her relationship with Flippy.

She despised him, too. Perhaps even more than them.

_Much more_ than them.

The silence reared its ugly head once more and every second of it caused impatience to rise in her. She couldn't stand the fact that they all saw her as a wrongdoer, in their minds, just because she committed one small mistake.

Just because she committed the mistake to befriend a criminal, a serial killer, believing that he had something good in him and that he could be changed. That he could be her friend.

Frustration boiled in her and she tried to wane it, but it was useless, because no amount of control would solve that problem. She burst out, in spite of her attempts to stop herself from doing it.

"I hope he'll rot in prison." She grounded out fiercely.

She saw them through her bangs as they all turned their stares in her direction, struck with astonishment and unaware that she had been there all along. They gazed mutely and no one said anything.

Flaky couldn't bear it anymore.

She made her way through them and she continued her road, looking straight ahead.

xxx

"Can you actually believe it?" Petunia sighed in exasperation as she supported her chin on her palm and looked out on the window, at the dark sky. "I mean, I can't. He's just so irritating."

Giggles rolled her eyes, while the guys didn't even pay attention to Petunia's words, being preoccupied with other… things.

They were all sitting at one of the restaurant's tables, gathered into another reunion of friends, but, apparently, the meeting didn't offer much entertainment because Petunia started talking again about the love-hate affairs she had with her latest boyfriend. Cuddles and Toothy munched two sandwiches, with bored looks on their faces, as they gave a yawn once in a while to remind Petunia that they had enough with all the relationship drama, and Giggles tapped her fingers on the table in impatience. Flaky just remained quiet and brooding, without signaling that she was tired with the blue haired girl's story.

Giggles stepped on Cuddles' foot and adjusted her voice, silently motioning him to do something about the situation. He twisted his features up in pain and jumped slightly, before he furrowed his brow as he thought quickly about something.

"Umm, so, Flaky, why did you come so late to work, today?" He asked, focusing his attention on her. The rest of her friends raised their heads quite curious and even Petunia forgot about her previous tale. Flaky widened her eyes and stood silent. She almost felt their intense stares burning holes into her skin.

She opened her mouth, then closed it and she repeated the gesture a few more times, before she gurgled an incomprehensible sound.

"Ahhh…I…urghhh" She stopped and blinked.

"You must have died pretty awfully, if you got here so late." Toothy shared his presumption and the others nodded in agreement.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay." Giggles spoke. "I know I usually don't enjoy talking about my deaths." She shuddered and hugged herself, a little downcast.

Flaky held her breath, taking refuge into herself and waiting for them to start talking about another subject, so that she wouldn't be determined to answer Cuddles' question, but the fate reserved her another run of bad luck.

They indeed began to discuss about something else, but it wasn't what she had in mind. It was something Flaky didn't ever want to happen again. Something she dreaded.

Something she knew it would happen sooner or later. And she knew it from the moment the bell at the door rang, announcing someone's entrance. Her friends became rigid and she noticed their obvious uneasiness, which meant one thing.

The cause of all their deaths was there, in that place.

"Uh-oh." Cuddles swallowed nervously and pointed at something behind Flaky. She didn't dare to turn around. She just shared her friends' reactions. Her heart was pounding so fast and she could hear every beat in her ears, thumping and sending blood roaring through her veins. She grabbed the edges of her chair and rooted herself to it as if it was her salvation, even though every move that she made was useless right then.

"Oh, god, he's here." Petunia muttered, petrified.

Flaky could feel the color drain from her face as she froze at the spot. She couldn't face him. Not that soon. She couldn't face him again. She didn't want to face him, to hear about him, to even know that he existed, but she didn't have a choice, but to struggle with everything that her cruel, twisted life imposed on her.

"It's your… friend." Cuddles finished, watching her cautiously.

Panic rose in her and she breathed deeply through her nose in a sad attempt to calm herself. She closed her fists and she trembled, before she looked at Cuddles accusingly, like he had said something insulting.

"He is _not_ my friend." She retorted through gritted teeth.

They all gazed at her quite taken aback by her fierce response and she was aware that her behavior was unusual, because the usual Flaky just remained quiet, fearful and distressed.

The usual Flaky had never told them that Flippy wasn't her friend, in such an angry and hateful manner.

He reached their table and stopped next to it, because she heard shuffling coming from her left and she caught a glimpse of his army jacket, but she didn't give a sign that she acknowledged his presence. She just stared blankly at the air, in front of her, as her friends raised their gazes and greeted him in respect and silent anxiety. She felt their eyes on her and she knew they waited for her to greet Flippy as well.

She didn't. She just blinked expressionlessly, trying to control her raging, negative emotions. She dug her fingers into her palm hard and her nails pierced her skin, but she ignored the pain.

She ignored the pain just like she tried with great efforts to ignore him at that moment.

"Flaky?" His voice went right into her core and her lips trembled slightly. She turned her head and looked away, in the opposite direction, on the window, and she sensed her friends move in restlessness.

Except for the noise created by a couple, a few tables away, the place was dead silent at that late hour. Her heart was beating frantically against her chest when he spoke up again.

"Please, Flaky, talk to me. I didn't mean to do what I did last night, you know… you know I don't have control over myself."

He waited for her to give an answer, but she still remained unmoving. She almost burst into tears for the umpteenth time that day, but she restrained herself.

"I don't understand why you're so angry with me." He told her and she could obviously hear a deep pain in his tone. "This is not new, I had… murdered before." He paused and inhaled deeply, as if it was really hard for him to mention it. "I just want to talk to you, I-"

"There is nothing to talk about." She suddenly released her thoughts, while she was still gazing out the window. A lump formed in her throat and her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned into ghostly white.

There was an absolute stillness for a few seconds.

"Flaky…" He softly spoke in plea to her.

His voice was strained and she believed he was going to have a fit, but he didn't. No words escaped. Not anymore.

Her friends assisted at the scene with their breaths almost gone and Flippy was apparently wordless. He hovered for a moment, probably hoping that she would change her mind. That she would at least look at him.

He appeared to give up at his attempt after all, because he turned and walked away.

Everyone was under suppressed suspense, until his steps faded away completely and went out the restaurant's door. Flaky looked down miserably.

Then her head perked up to see her friends staring wide eyed at her, their mouths hanging open in awe. She moved her eyes around, feeling a little guilty, fact that annoyed her, because she had no reason to feel guilty.

"What…" Giggles paused, trying to form a sentence. "What was all that about?"

Uneasiness covered Flaky's features, while the rest of them still stared at her like they didn't even know her anymore. She remained quiet, avoiding their looks.

"That was even more dramatic than Petunia's relationships." Toothy told her, which earned him an irritated look from the other girl.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Petunia glared at him. Her face then softened and she turned towards Flaky, who shrunk in her seat, apathetic and silent.

"He killed you last night, didn't he?" She asked her, but Flaky didn't answer, confirming their false hunches. She just let them believe what they wanted to believe.

She wanted to forget everything.

"You should have looked at him, just for the sake of it." Cuddles interfered thoughtfully. "He looked really depressed. And after you spoke to him, I almost believed he was going to commit suicide. " He said, grimacing.

An ocean of emotions swirled inside her. Fear, pain, confusion, pity, concern and, most of all, fury crawled underneath her skin. It was really a wonder that so much could be running through her head and yet the air was so deceptively quiet.

"That was really harsh, even for him." Giggles concluded. "You're the only one that he's left with, especially in this hard time. Think about it." She spoke slowly. "He's mentally ill and he's going to be put behind bars because of his condition. There must be someone who can stand by his side. And you're the only person who can do it." She stopped, watching her reaction. "He expects you to do it."

Flaky sensed a sharp jab at her mind and tremors shook her entire being. She was torn between so many feelings and she didn't have a clue of how to handle that instability.

"He killed us many times, yeah. He's a goddamn psychopath. But you can at least listen to him. After that, you won't have to put up with him, ever again." Giggles finished. "And neither do we, thank goodness."

Flaky's breath hitched, before she frowned and heaved a loud sigh. She couldn't do it. They didn't know that he could be capable of much more than murder and, in no way, she could stay alone with him, not after everything that happened. Maybe he had been her friend once. Maybe she wanted to help, if only a little bit, because there was a trace of sympathy through all that loathing, but, even though she had a small, good intention, she was too scared of him.

She was terrified and angry and those emotions were much more powerful than the pity.

"I can't." She murmured in dismay. "I-I can't." She trembled. "I…I can't help him. I can't be his friend after what he has done to me."

Her friends exchanged troubled looks, as they listened to her, apprehensive.

"He's sick. Too sick." Flaky spoke bitterly, casting a glance outside, towards the pitch black night.

"And nobody can help him anymore."

xxx

It was probably past midnight when she bid her friends goodnight, in front of the restaurant, before she walked away from them and went on the road that she always followed, after she left her work place. Not many people wandered the streets in the city at that hour and Flaky felt somewhat tense because of it. She wasn't used to go out at night, except when her friends decided to reunite from time to time, just to maintain their friendship and not to forget that they could still have fun, after the pain they had to go through.

She barely smiled in sadness and put her arms around herself when a cool breeze passed near her. Her steps echoed in the silence and she started walking faster, as the paranoia gripped her, inducing the usual negative thoughts. Even though the street lamps enveloped the main road in a weak, diffuse light, it was still dark and creepy and she shuddered.

The last thing she needed right then was another death. That would have been the drop that filled the bad luck glass, in that week, and she didn't have any intention to fill it.

As she passed by an alleyway, she was suddenly grabbed from behind by a pair of strong hands. Before she could cry out, she was pulled out of the wind into the alley and engulfed into an embrace.

She struggled and she tried to scream, but it was muffled, because her face was caught between a shirt and two arms. She pushed him with all her force, intending to distance herself from him as fast as she could, but she was immobilized by his strength, which was probably three times bigger than hers.

"Hmpf, l-let m-me go!" Flaky yelled into his chest as she hit him with her fists, but he didn't listen to her. She began tearing up again and her face was probably red from despair and effort.

She barely managed to lift her eyes and look at him and she froze in the moment she saw his deplorable state. His cheeks were sunken and dark blue circles marked the skin under his eyes, that were distant, tired and filled with sorrow. Her breath stuck in her throat and she didn't know if it was from the fear or from the antagonistic feelings she was having right then.

"Why are you doing this, Flaky?" Flippy asked in a quiet, pained voice and she thought her ribs were going to break, her heart was beating so hard. "Why… why don't you want to be my friend anymore?" He cracked, tightening the embrace, and she realized that there was no space between them, clothes being the only thing that separated them.

She whimpered and she sensed that tears were cascading down her face again, which frustrated her.

"Why s-should I-I be? " She retorted sad, as she tried to push him away, but failed. "You o-only do t-terrible things to me." She trembled. She moved wildly, seeking a way through which she could escape, but she couldn't find any.

Flippy looked down at her in hopelessness.

"But you were never bothered by it before. You accepted me the way I was, you were willing to be my friend…" He trailed off as he held her in place. Her mouth was dry and she almost felt dizzy when he rubbed her back in a poor attempt at self consolation. "I don't mean to do those things, Flaky. I need you." He spoke, before he stuck so hard to her that she believed they were going to merge into one being. She choked from the lack of air and scuffled to get away from his tight lock, but he clung desperately to her, frightening her horribly.

She had almost foreseen that he was going to do something vile to her. Again.

She gave a frantic yelp as she dug her fingers into his shirt and shoved him away, and he released her, making her stumble backwards.

"H-how much do you think I can s-stand it? How m-much?" She tremulously cried. "J-just leave me a-alone!"

She turned around, preparing to run away from him, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her from making any step. Flaky shook her arm, so that he would set her free, but his clutch became tighter and it even started to hurt.

"L-let go!" She squeaked, moving in agitation like a scared, cornered animal that was going to be torn apart. She grabbed his hand with her other one and tried to unclench it, even though it was futile, because he gazed calmly at her.

"Why do you struggle so much?" He asked and his eyes got a sad, distant glint.

After a minute or two of constant battle, Flaky felt so tired that she pretty much gave in and stopped moving, waiting for him to do what he wanted to her. She trembled wildly and she burst into cries, resigned. She was going to get killed no matter what she did, so it was pointless to put up a fight. It only worsened things.

"I only want you to be my friend. That's all." Flippy said softly, as he stared deceitfully at her. She raised her head and returned the stare, numb, mentally and physically. They continued to look at each other in silence, for what seemed like hours to Flaky, even though, in reality, there were just a few seconds.

Then she said something that she shouldn't have and that she regretted.

"I can't be your friend." Flaky muttered. "I… I _hate_ you."

His face turned into a stone, while his green eyes enlarged, blown away by her words. He gawked and he became so caught up in what she had said, that his entire body started shaking furiously, as his gaze glazed over with lunacy in less than a heartbeat. His whole person changed and turned into someone else, someone mad and malignant. She covered her mouth horrified and backed away aghast, when she took note of what was really going on.

He was flipping out.

His features twisted in extreme anger and he grabbed her by the back of her red jacket, before he pinned her to the wall, violently.

Flaky screamed and scratched him, trying to block his hands that went under her skirt and ripped her undergarments apart. One of his arms sneaked around her waist and brought them closer. She could hear him as he undid his trousers and she realized that he was going to do… _that_ to her.

For the second time.

"No, don't!" She screeched in desperation, and he furrowed his brow, even more angered than before.

"Let's see how much you'll hate me after this!" He yelled at her, boiling in rage. He grabbed her legs and put them around his middle, before he pushed in, and the ache returned. It wasn't as strong as the first time, but it still hurt, and she cried out and slipped her fingers into his hair, pulling it weakly.

It wasn't exactly the same. The act wasn't so rigid and emotionless, like it had been a day before. In fact, he put his face next to hers and pressed his lips into the corner of her mouth, then he covered it entirely and Flaky gasped into the kiss, as she involuntarily moved her own lips against his. Strangely enough, the gesture seemed really intimate and different from everything that happened between them, despite that he had done things much worse to her. It felt like they crossed a whole different line and, even though it was rough and hard, it was like a release to her, because it faded the pain away, to an extent.

It made her forget about the horror of what he was doing to her in that moment. Flippy unglued his mouth from hers and held her close, breathing raggedly in her ear, and she felt the pain invade her body once more, making her whimper.

She lost track of time because she wasn't aware how much it lasted. She didn't know how many times he got in and out, again and again, and she thought her mind was going to implode from the exhaustion. He finally stopped at one point and leaned his forehead on her shoulder, panting heavily, and Flaky rested her head on the wall, as she inhaled and exhaled loudly. They stood like that in the unbearable silence, for a while, until her brain ceased to function.

Her consciousness slipped away, before she blacked out.


	3. Control

Disclaimer: The Happy Tree Friends are not mine.

Warning: Sex, violence, inappropriate language and other adult themes.

xxx

A jolt of pain travelled her body as senses came back to her. She felt cold and she trembled, while goosebumps danced all over skin. She couldn't move, not yet, and she waited for her limbs to start functioning again so that she could wake up and return to reality. She was unable to remember what happened to her last time, but she guessed she had been killed, because she wasn't really used to her body, which meant the body was new.

Or that was what she thought, until flooding memories invaded her brain.

Flaky suddenly opened her eyes and blinked a few times to get accustomed to the dim light. All she could see was a dark ceiling in front of her and she realized that she was lying on a soft mattress. She intended to move, but it was really hard, so she just remained there, hoping that nothing bad would happen to her, even though she didn't know where she actually was.

Images with Flippy passed in front of her eyes and the soreness amplified.

He did it to her.

He did it to her again and she fainted. That was why she couldn't remember anything for a while. She blinked back some tears and tried to stand up when a voice stopped her.

"Please don't run."

Flaky froze. She cautiously raised her head to see him standing on a chair in front of the bed and it made her feel uneasy and panicky. His face was shadowed and it was still dark outside, which frightened her even more. She guessed she was at his house, due to the fact that she could recognize his room from all the times she had been there before, when they were good friends.

When they were still friends.

"You have finally woken up." He spoke and she remarked devastation in his voice . A few seconds passed, while none of them said a word. He lingered in his place and Flaky turned smaller. She wanted so much to run away from that place, even though he would probably stop her if she tried.

"I can't believe it." He spoke lowly. "I can't believe that I… raped you." He paused and his breath hitched. Flaky drew her knees up to her chest and buried her head in them. Spasms of fear and hurt shook her body and she gave a small whimper.

"You were unconscious, between me and that wall and I…I felt sick when I realized what had happened. I was sick with what I'd done, with myself." He said and it barely reached her ears.

He hovered for a moment.

Then he stood up and got close to the other end of the bed. He gazed at her and it was the first time when she could actually see his expression. A mix of feelings was written on his face, but the most prominent were sorrow and anger. He lifted his hand and touched her leg, although she yelped and withdrew it from his grasp. He appeared really hurt by her action and looked down downhearted, before he knitted his brow and raised his eyes to study her small, trembling figure.

"You're right to hate me." He spoke, visibly struggling with himself. "Even I hate myself. " He swallowed heavily, gripping the bed's wooden end so tightly that she thought he was going to break it.

Flippy continued to gaze at her in silence and she started moving restlessly, unsure about he was going to do. She didn't even know for sure if he was flipped out or not. Even though his behavior proved that he wasn't, he could suddenly flip out in any moment. It was never safe.

He slowly walked around the bed and stopped near her. Flaky jumped and desperately tried to stand up. Panting with terror, she intended to move to the other side when he placed himself on the mattress, but he did something that bewildered her.

He just sat down next to her, stretched his arm and wrapped it tightly around the shocked, horrified girl, pulling her closer.

She stiffened and shifted in his arms; "P-please don't do anything to me."

Flippy sighed against her neck and tightened the hug, causing a shiver to run through her. He drew back a little, pressing her head away from him gently so he could look into her face.

"I won't." He replied, his voice equally soft. A tidal wave of unknown emotion rocked Flaky's body when he brushed his lips past her eyelids and she automatically closed her eyes. That strange feeling of relief enveloped her mind again and it reminded her of the first time when he kissed her, before she passed out, a few hours ago. It was a feeling that soothed her and it made her forget about the terror, about the pain, about the misery. About the fact that he was an insane murderer and that he could kill her in any second.

All those sensations changed her hateful thoughts into somewhat pleasant ones, against her will, and she lifted her face and allowed him to pull her even closer. He gently placed his lips over her face and Flaky whimpered, as his hands roamed over and caressed her back. Her heart was pounding frantically and she didn't know if it was from the fear, dread or confusion. Perhaps all of them at the same time.

He paused above her mouth and waited for her to turn her head, but she didn't. Then he leaned in, stuck his lips to hers and Flaky elicited a throaty sound.

She didn't want to do that. She didn't like the fact that he controlled and allured her into accepting those gestures of supposed affection. She didn't want to admit it, but it felt… really good to have someone cuddle her like that and she didn't have any strength when he did those things. It was like all her limbs slackened and turned into numbness and, even though she opposed to that kiss, she couldn't help but let him do it.

Her lips softened and parted a little; Flippy deepened the kiss and she jerked in surprise before a muffled noise escaped, the sound reverberating through his lips. Their tongues started tangling as the lip lock became hungrier and breathing ragged.

"God…Flaky…" He spoke through her mouth. "I can't… "He rubbed her thigh and grabbed it tightly, then he pushed into her hard and she squeaked. "I can't control myself."

She broke the kiss in alarm and looked up at him. His stare became frightening, feral and all the awful feelings returned to her in an instant. She screeched and put her palms on his chest to push him away. Flippy clutched her wrists and screwed up his features.

"Stop that. It drives me mad when you fight me." He snapped in her face, while he pressed into her even harder. She inhaled sharply.

"Y-you s-said you w-wouldn't do anything to m-me. Y-you s-said…" She mumbled, through tears.

She had been right. He always flipped out sooner or later.

His mouth curled as if he was about to have a fit. He trembled above her and breathed heavily, struggling to calm himself.

"I'm trying, but I can't help it." He spoke through gritted teeth. "I don't have power over it anymore. No matter what I do, the monster always takes over. " His strong gaze bore into her, making her recoil desperately.

"I'm sorry." He muttered regretfully, before he closed his eyes tightly. He stood like that for a moment, attempting to maintain his stability, then he opened them and she almost had a heart attack when she saw the horrific madness in them. He clenched his jaw and restrained himself, although not for long.

The dark grin made its way on his face in spite of all his efforts and Flaky gaped at him in shock and horror. He laughed maniacally, before he lowered his mouth and reached her collarbone, biting her so hard that Flaky thought she was going to bleed. She cried and grasped his head, while he continued sucking in that spot of skin, rubbing against her. His hand crawled up under her blouse and grabbed her breast and she gasped, taken aback by the unusual gesture.

Never, in her entire life, she had imagined that someone would actually do that to her.

Everything passed in a blur. She wasn't fully aware of what happened after that. All she felt was his body that covered hers entirely, his lips that marked her skin in every possible way and her eyelids fell, blackening her vision.

She didn't resist him anymore. She just let him do whatever he wanted.

He laughed in her ear when she gave a scream, because the act in which they were engaging right then was painful and maddening to her. His lack of compassion, his ruthlessness hurt her more than any physical torture.

She had been a fool.

She had been a fool because she actually thought she could find comfort in him for a brief moment.

xxx

Flaky didn't know how many times he forced her into having sex with him, the next days.

She lost the count after the fifth time. It had almost become a routine.

He always barged into her house and scared the hell out of her, before he tore her clothes off as she screamed terrorized. Or he suddenly appeared out of nowhere – that was what it looked like to her- even when she was in public, to drag her behind a building or in a private space to…well, the rest was obvious.

Flaky tried to escape only once, during all the acts. She bit his hand, but it didn't work. In fact, he was satisfied when she did it, because he had a reason to 'punish' her after that for being disobedient. Of course, the punishment contained more rough bumping of pelvises.

She had gotten so used to him that she almost forgot she immensely disliked everything he did to her.

That was why, when something reminded her of the time passed with him, she didn't feel that bothered anymore. She could even talk about it, which weirded her out.

And her friends, as well.

"Guess who has been initiated into the art of… mingling of the bodies?" Petunia asked, chuckling. Giggles turned into a bright shade of pink that matched her hair, at the metaphorical expression for sex.

"Oh, shut up." She huffed, crossing her arms.

Flaky raised her eyes curiously and looked from one girl to another.

"What are you talking about?" She inquired, confused.

The blue haired girl swung around the counter to take a plate with fried chips, then she turned towards Flaky, who was still expecting one of them to answer. Petunia grinned widely as she pointed to Giggles.

"She sleeeept with someboooody laaast niiight…" She sing-songed and Giggles quickly put a hand over her mouth, before someone else heard her.

"Would you _shut_ _up_?" She hissed. "I don't think the whole restaurant needs to hear about this."

Flaky watched her wondering.

"Really?"

Giggles blushed even harder, and looked down in embarrassment, then she nodded. There was a pause.

"Cuddles?" Flaky asked again.

The pink haired girl threw her arms up in the air in exasperation and rolled her eyes, huffing impatiently.

"Oh come on! Is it that obvious?"

Petunia burst into laughs while Flaky smiled knowingly, fiddling with her apron's knot.

"So…" Flaky trailed off, pondering the thought. "How was it? Did he bite you? Did he tie you to the bed?"

She didn't notice that Petunia didn't laugh anymore and Giggles' face was covered in tension and surprise. She just kept ranting about various things, which she remembered Flippy did to her for the past days.

"Or maybe he just came to you and pinned you to the wall." She presumed thoughtfully. "I bet it was awful and painful." She carried on fierily, furrowing her brow and grimacing at the memories.

She glanced at her two friends and she remained petrified when she observed their confused, befuddled expressions. Giggles and Petunia gawked at her like she had grown an extra head. Her heart lurched and she swallowed nervously. Maybe she had been carried away a little too much.

"N-no." Giggles mumbled unsurely. "It…" She stopped and gaped at her carefully. "It was… nice."

They stood like that awkwardly and Flaky realized she shouldn't have said anything, because she only created more suspicion, which she didn't need right then.

"I-I have to g-go-" She fidgeted and averted her eyes as she turned around to leave, but Petunia suddenly caught her wrist and kept her in place.

"That was strange, Flaky." Petunia scrutinized her with her gaze, almost as if she wanted to read her mind. "Where did all that come from?"

They looked at each other in silence and Flaky sensed heavy lead filling her stomach.

"This is not you." Petunia stated tense. "This is not you at all."

Flaky inhaled anxiously, avoiding her friends' questioning stares. She suddenly wanted to kick herself for being so impulsive and big mouthed at a time like this.

"S-sorry." She mumbled, looking down at her shoes. "It j-just came to my m-mind, I-"

"Well, that's the problem." Giggles studied her, frowning. "Something like that would never cross your mind. Especially _your_ mind." She pursed her lips. "Unless you experience it."

Flaky paled and widened her eyes in alarm, before she shook her head fervently, raising her hands in defense.

"I-it's n-not necessary, I just presumed it, t-that's a-all." She barely cracked a smile, feeling small drops of sweat streaming down her forehead. "I-imagination, heh, heh."

Two skeptical stares scanned her, as she held her breath pressured, hoping that none of them would insist on finding out about the provenance of all the twisted information.

"Table fourteen, Flaky! Now!" Pop's voice made her jump a few inches in the air and she exhaled in relief, before she excused herself and walked away from Giggles and Petunia.

She went at the back of the restaurant to take the plates, while the gears in her head were constantly turning around, processing what Giggles had told her.

Her friend _liked_ it. Giggles actually thought sex was nice, fact that provoked her puzzlement and frustration to an extent, because she always thought it was uncomfortable and exhausting. Not to mention, quite painful. How was that possible? How it was possible that something like that would feel different to Giggles? A 'good' different, nonetheless.

After all, Flaky had never known much about this kind of things. She had never known that she would engage in such weird, unpleasant acts. She always believed that she would be alone all the time, that she would have a close-to-normal life, with no one to disturb her. Even if she eventually had a boyfriend, like Petunia and Giggles, in no way psychopaths like Flippy could be taken into consideration. That made her want to laugh bitterly.

Flippy wasn't even close to what could be called a close person to her, let alone a boyfriend. In fact, she wasn't even sure if there were good natured feelings between them. Perhaps he had some sort of fondness for her- when he wasn't flipped out- and probably pity and remorse, because he figured out what his psychotic self usually did to her, but that was all.

In the rest of the time, he just used her to fulfill his sick fantasies and she greatly disliked him; she despised him.

She stopped brusquely on her way to the table and stood like that for three or fours seconds, as it dawned on her. That was it. That was why Giggles enjoyed it and she didn't.

Because Giggles liked Cuddles, maybe even loved him, and he didn't force her into sleeping with him.

Because Flippy forced her and she hated him for that. And for other things, as well.

Several people stared weirdly at her and she realized that she probably looked strange standing there, in the middle of the restaurant with a plate in her hand, without moving.

Flaky came to her senses, shook her head and rushed over to the booth situated at the other end, to deliver the command she was supposed to. She stopped there and lowered the plate, to place it on the table.

"Your order, sir- argh!"

Her body jerked forward as a hand went under her skirt and grabbed her thigh tightly. The plate went flying out of her hands and almost onto the floor, but she managed to save it. She dropped it on the table with a clang and froze in her spot when another hand sneaked around her waist. Someone's face pressed into the lower part of her stomach and she looked down to see Flippy's head stuck to it.

"Mmmm I missed you, my little marshmallow." He said, nuzzling her. His voice was muffled by her body, but she could still hear the obvious mockery in it.

Flaky twitched, disturbed by the comment, before she tried with all her strength to shove him away. It was difficult, but she somewhat managed to push his head away from her stomach – he was probably the one who relented, anyway- and he looked up at her, grinning like a lunatic. The girl squeaked apprehensive and stepped backwards fast.

She didn't get away, because he grabbed her by the front of her skirt and pulled her in his lap. They looked at each other for a while, one smirking, the other one flinching, before Flippy reached out and drew a hand over her cheek. She squinted, her breath coming quicker.

"Don't…" She started, but it was like her words got stuck in her throat. If anything, the fear in her eyes got stronger. He revealed his teeth, sadistically pleased with the fact that she was scared, then leaned forwards and kissed her neck, suckling while slowly running his hands up and down her shirt, feeling her chest beneath the fabric. She gasped and tried to wrench herself out of his grasp, pushing him with jerky fingers.

"S-someone could s-see." Flaky mumbled, looking around the booth carefully. Thankfully, they were at the back and there weren't many people around that area, but she couldn't risk it.

He stopped and narrowed his eyes as he approached his face to hers.

"So what if someone sees?" He inquired, pulling a sickened expression. "You're afraid that people will think you're the accomplice of a murderer?" Anger flashed in his eyes. He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her face forwards, looking into her eyes which were wide and full of emotion- mostly dread, loathing and desperation. Then he bent over and his tongue intruded her mouth, forcing it wide, as her throat made a small, pleading noise. He explored her cavern for a while, his fingers digging into her scalp and positioning her head according to the movement of their mouths, before he captured her bottom lip with his teeth and started chewing it greedily. Flaky gave small whimpers and he smiled satisfied against her mouth at the sounds.

He tackled her, rolling them around so that her body was pinned beneath his own, and she almost yelled for help, if he didn't cover her mouth to impend her from making any noise. He snickered in her face.

"Do you actually think anyone will face me, just to help you?" He asked amused. His grin instantly fell and his features roughened furiously. "You're goddamn stupid."

She glared up at him through the shimmer of tears as his fingers fondled between her legs.

"I can fuck you right here and no one will say anything." He continued, thrusting his hips against hers hard, making her emit various noises. "And you know why?" His breath got heavier and she felt him getting aroused through their clothes. "Because they're aware I'll blow this fucking place to pieces, if they interfere." He grunted.

His mouth came back down and assaulted hers as his hand slid further down and touched her right there. She escaped a groan of discomfort and gripped his shirt tightly, her breathing heavy. Flippy pushed into her with so much force that she thought they were almost having sex again, even though there were still clothes between them.

That was when Giggles' words echoed in her head. What he was doing to her could actually feel nice, if she put some effort into it. But how was she supposed to like it, when she hated it?

When she hated _him_?

She closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself, and tried with all her efforts to feel pleased. She couldn't be tortured like that all the time, so she might as well enjoy it.

Her legs tentatively wrapped around his waist properly, taking a deep breath as she tried to get used to him. She gazed at him with glassy eyes and opened her mouth more, giving him all the access he wanted… it somewhat felt nice, if she closed her eyes and didn't think about the horrible circumstances in which that act was taking place. Plus, she realized that there was a warmth beneath her bellybutton every time he was doing those things to her, but she hadn't paid attention to it until then because the horror was too great.

She couldn't do it.

That wasn't normal sex. That was something sick, that gave her an aghast, awful feeling, not pleasure. She couldn't get pleasure from that.

Her face reddened in aggravation and she gave him a small kick, before she frowned angrily. Flippy stopped and his green eyes narrowed dangerously at her, which made Flaky regret her earlier action.

"What the hell was that?"

She bit her lip frightened when he stared down at her with those penetrating eyes as if he wanted to kill her for defying him. Then she realized that was the second time when she tried to escape during the act and she guessed she was going to receive the same treatment as the last time. That meant he was going to 'punish' her.

Raw desperation enveloped her as a knife suddenly appeared in his hand and touched her leg slowly with its sharp, cutting edge.

Flaky couldn't stand it anymore. She screamed. She screamed so hard that she thought the whole restaurant turned into chaos from fear and confusion. Flippy widened his eyes and she enclosed herself with her arms, waiting for him to kill her, but he backed away and stood up rapidly, leaving her there, stretched on the seats.

He looked down on her, his fists and jaw clenched aggressively.

"You're going to get it for that." He growled menacingly, before he raised his knife, while other people were coming in their direction, probably curious about the source of the scream. Her mouth fell in terror when she realized that he was going to kill them.

He was going to kill them _all_.

"No." She whispered, teary eyed and desperate, and he nodded, grinning widely.

"Yes." He retorted joyously. He really seemed to be enjoying what he was about to do and that appalled her.

She didn't want to assist at those gruesome scenes, so she buried her head in her hands and stood like that, trembling wildly, her teeth clattering in her mouth and tears falling constantly down her face as she squeezed her eyes shut. She trembled so hard that she believed she was going to explode. She couldn't bear the fact that those people were going to die because of her, because she had been stupid enough to scream, selfishly thinking about her own wellbeing. Someone had to put an end to that.

_She_ had to do it. Even though he was probably going to murder her as well.

Flaky gathered all the little courage she had, sat up and went after him, decided. She could see those people's horrified faces, when they noticed that Flippy was the cause of the ruckus; they started backing away as he walked forward, looking for his first victim, and she watched the scene disturbed, feeling her stomach contents sway. It was really hard for her to interfere, to do such an insane thing like stopping him, and she had almost renounced at the idea if the guilt hadn't jabbed at her mind.

She clenched her fists tightly, inhaled deeply and her features contorted in desperation, before she ran and bumped into him, holding him away from the awestruck crowd that stared terrified at her bold action.

Flaky encircled his waist with her arms and hid her face in his back, her tears disappearing into his shirt, soaking it.

"Stop it!"

She didn't think time could freeze, but that moment almost convinced her that it was possible, because every little thing, every person, even she remained still. Not a single breath could be heard, as she stood there, stuck to Flippy, and the only thing that brought her to earth again was him.

Tremors shook her and she realized that, for the first time, she wasn't the one who was actually trembling.

It was _him_. He was trembling. Flaky opened her eyes carefully and bit her lip anxiously, expecting him to turn around and kill her there, on the spot. He was most surely trembling in fury, probably on the edge of madness, and she tentatively loosened her clutch, sensing the fear coming back to her, although she continued to remain attached to him.

"Please, don't do it… not again." Flaky murmured pleadingly and looked up to see him turning his head and watching her with the corner of his eye. She couldn't realize if he was mad, surprised or impressed. All those were on his face right then. It was like he was struggling with his mind and that gave her a small hope, because she didn't believe her words would actually affect him. That he would actually change his decision.

That he would fight his primal instinct to kill for her.

Flippy lowered the knife and unclenched her hands from him, before he threw her a look filled with disgust.

"Damn you." He growled.

Everyone buzzed with anticipation and nervousness as he pushed his way through them and got out of the local, furious. Then all the stares fixed her, but Flaky didn't pay attention to them.

Her eyes were wide, her face was red from crying, her mouth was slightly agape. She didn't care.

All she perceived right then was that Flippy had actually managed to make her happy after a long time, since they used to spend days together as friends.

People surrounded her and assaulted her with various questions, in alarm and curiosity.

She just smiled.


End file.
